A STUDENT has told how her energy company said they wanted to give me a refund – then suddenly told her she owed them £1,000.

Melissa, 24, had been told that she had overpaid Eon £600 before they said there was a mistake and demanded she pay a grand.

The trouble began when Melissa realised Eon had charged her £270 more than her usual £70 direct debit payment.

When she contacted them and explained she had often been overcharged she was told they would issue a refund within six days.

However, a week late she had still not received the sum, which had added up to £600, and when they rang them again she was told there was no record of the conversation.

She told The Derby Telegraph: "That's an insane amount of money. I told them I wanted it back right there and then."

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However, she was told she'd have to wait for it to be signed off by a manager. 

After tens of calls, they got back in contact and told her that she actually owed them £1,008.

She said: "I'm devastated and totally confused. I live in a one-bed council flat by myself. 

“I would've had to have been having a rave here every night to use that much electricity. It's insane and doesn't make sense to me.

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"I'm incredibly careful with energy. I'm not somebody who's extravagant in nature. There's nothing that I'm doing in my home that could produce those figures. 

“There's just nothing that could warrant that amount of money. It's beyond bizarre.”

Melissa says she has no idea how the company calculated the sum.

She said: "The same meter readings they're claiming have produced this figure of debt are the same meter readings that informed them that they owed me money. 

“They've not changed. I've not given them any new ones. At the very least that's an incorrect figure. Even if they don't owe me, I don't owe them."

How to avoid paying extra on your bills

Resolver consumer expert Martyn James says the best way to check if you're being overcharged on your bills is to keep track of how much energy you are using.

The best way to do this is to take regular readings of your gas and electricity meter and take photos.

If you think you're not using as much energy as what you're being charged for, then you should get in touch with your provider and send them the pictures you have to try and get a better rate.

Another reason why it's good to keep regular meter readings is because suppliers usually check your individual energy consumption twice a year.

If you don't send in meter readings, your provider will send an estimated bill. That could be much higher than what you're using in reality.

For example, your provider could have used your energy consumption during winter to base what you need to pay for your summer bill.

Your readings will help your supplier calculate your bills more accurately – but it could work against your favour too, Uswitch energy policy expert Justina Miltienyte warns.

"This may reveal that you have been using more (or less) energy than your supplier has been charging you for.

"If you are using more, your supplier can raise your payments to reflect this change."

You might also want to check whether your meter is working properly.

Although Citizens Advice says meter faults are rare, they can happen – and it could be causing a billing mistake.

The student has decided not to pay the alleged outstanding debt – saying they will have to take her to court.

Melissa said: "I don't know what to do. If I'm completely honest, I've become depresssed, very anxious and very upset. None of it makes sense and it just sounds shady to me.

"They seem to have pulled the figure out of thin air. It's not based on anything. I'm not paying it. They'll have to take me to court. They're not getting that money from me."

An Eon spokesperson said: “We are trying to contact Ms Adler to apologise for any confusion and to discuss the details of her account. 

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“Now that we have accurate up-to-date meter readings we can confirm that there is no money owed to her, in fact, there is a significant debt on the account.

"We are hoping to speak to her to provide energy-saving tips and to offer a payment plan to drive down the balance on her account.”

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